Health bosses have deferred a decision on whether to scrap services for vulnerable adults in Haverhill and Newmarket.

The measure had been proposed as part of a package of cuts to save the two Suffolk clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) up to £1million.

The cuts would see services for marginalised and vulnerable adults (MVA) centred on Ipswich – a move that would affect around 350 people in the west of the county.

The CCGs also proposed cuts to fertility services, reducing the number of rounds of IVF treatments available to under-40s, which are currently two, to one or none at all.

The West Suffolk CCG had been due to make a decision on the cuts yesterday, after the East Suffolk and Ipswich CCG made theirs on Tuesday.

But both have chosen to put back the decision until next year.

Consultation

The move comes after the CCGs received feedback from almost 1,400 in a consultation on the cuts.

Among them were responses from Haverhill town councillors, who have described the proposals as "ridiculous".

The town's mayor David Roach has written to West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock about the issue and been promised a delegation from the town to meet Health Minister Jeremy Hunt.

The seven-week consultation ran from July 19 to September 9, and the CCGs have now decided that they need more time to give in-depth consideration to the feedback.

Chairman of the West Suffolk CCG, Dr Christopher Browning, said: "It is important we fully understand the impact these proposals will have on people in West Suffolk. Deferring the decision making will give us further opportunity to examine all the feedback presented by local people so the right conclusions are reached."

Cllr Roach said: "I'm pleased that they are starting to listen to the feedback about keeping provision in West Suffolk."

He said he believed the cuts would have a knock-on effect on the county council, with people claiming back taxi fees for travelling to services in Ipswich.

Deferral

Dr Browning said a decision was now "likely" to be made by the West Suffolk CCG at their governing body meeting in January.

The Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG say a decision is set to be made at some point early next year.

Until then, the CCGs' IVF and MVA services will continue to operate as they do currently.

The CCGs initially put forward the proposals as part of an effort to shave £13million off their budgets.